Kenn Plateau Marine Geology Survey with Seismic and Bathymetric Data

3090 km of high-quality seismic data and 7584 km of bathymetric data were collected from the Kenn Plateau off northeast Australia. The voyage, managed by Geoscience Australia, recovered the first ancient rocks from this frontier offshore region. The survey aimed to improve geological understanding and modern environmental mapping of this poorly known area.

Use Cases

• Modeling geological evolution based on seismic reflection profiles
• Improving bathymetric maps based on swath-mapping data
• Analyzing sedimentary processes on plateau margins using bathymetric data
• Building a geological history based on recovered rock samples

Strengths

• 3090 km of high-quality seismic data
• 7584 km of bathymetric data collected with a SIMRAD EM 300 multibeam sonar system
• First ancient rocks recovered from this frontier region

Limitations

• Only 12 dredge hauls and one grab sample were obtained
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Marine survey conducted aboard the RV Southern Surveyor, utilizing seismic profiling, swath-mapping, and dredge sampling.

Time Range

Survey conducted in November-December 2004.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 09:20:34.792836; freshness should be verified

Geography

Kenn Plateau off northeast Australia.